President Buhari rejects tenure elongation for Oyegun

President Buhari rejects tenure elongation for Oyegun

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, March, 27, reportedly described as illegal the tenure elongation for the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, and other elected officials of the party.

The president demanded that the decision to extend the party’s national working committee (NWC) led by Oyegun, be reconsidered and reversed.

According to the president, who spoke at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, said the extension decided upon at the party’s NEC meeting on February 28 is against the constitution of the APC.

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It was learnt that the party officials and members who attended the meeting did not expect Buhari’s pronouncement calling for the cancellation of the tenure extension for Oyegun.

Buhari spoke before the commencement of NEC meeting in favour of the cancelling of the tenure extension decision.

“On my own part, I have taken some time to review and seek advice on the resolution. And what I found is that it contravenes both our party constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While the APC constitution, in article 17(1) and 13.2(B), limits the tenure of elected officers to four years, renewable once by another election, the 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended), in section 223, also prescribes periodic elections for party executives at regular intervals, which must not exceed four years.

“Furthermore, article 31 of our party constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another post, must resign from his current post at least one month before the election

“In this circumstance, what is expected of us is to conduct fresh elections, once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end. A caretaker committee cannot remedy this situation, and cannot validly act in place of elected officers,” the president said.

Buhari said he changed his mind over the extension of tenure for Oyegun and others because he does not want the party’s activities to be faulted by any court of law.

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The report said the NEC members were shocked because the issue was not part of the agenda circulated to members and was not discussed at the national caucus meeting which held at the Presidential Villa previously.

During a NEC meeting of the party on February 28, the tenure of members of National Working Committee (NWC) led by John Odigie-Oyegun was extended by one year.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said that the fate of John Odigie-Oyegun would be decided on Tuesday, March 27, during the party's National Executive Council meeting.

The report said that he said this in an interview with the State House correspondents late Monday night, March 26, after the three-hour caucus meeting of the party presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

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Source: Legit.ng

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